Motor vehicle



Sept. 2, 1941. F. c. BEST MOTOR VEHICLE Filed June 7. 1939 27 iai \""sssY INVENTOR. 'Fraz/11 C. 23e S cfa/a@ v 4%# ATTORNEY-5" Patented Sept. 2,1941 MOTOR VEHICLE Frank C. Best, Detroit, Mich., assignor to PackardMotor Car Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan ApplicationJune 7, 1939, Serial No. 277,854 4 claims. (ol. 28o-1231) This inventionrelates to motor vehicles and more' particularly to wheel mounting andsuspension.

An object of the invention is to provide a suspension system for motorvehicle wheels that is simple in design and adapted to be produced atlow cost.

Another object of the invention is to provide a swinging lever type ofdriving wheel mounting for motor vehicles with a transverse torsion bartype of suspension arranged out of interfering relation with thepropeller shaft of the driving mechanism.

Another object ofthe invention is to provide an independent mounting andsuspension for the driving wheels of a motor vehicle that will allow theouter universal joints of the driving axles to be disposed close Ito thewheel center line to increase the eillciency of such joints because ofthe Vlonger drive shafts.

A further object of the invention is to provide swinging lever type ofmounting and-transverse torsion bar suspension for motor vehicle wheelsin which the torsion bars and the levers are in staggered relation toallow a similar lever construction and staggered wheel impacts.

Still another object of the invention is to provide 'a transversetorsion bar suspension for vehicle wheels that will have a maximumefficiency without interference with the normal location of the drivingmechanism for the wheels.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the followingdescription taken in connection with the drawing, which forms a part ofthe specification, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view, partly broken away, of a motor vehicle chassisincorporating the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of wheel mounting and suspensionstructure;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2. l

The wheel mounting and suspension mechanisms forming the subject matterof the invention are shown associated with the rear driving wheels of amotor vehicle, but such mechanisms can also be associated with the otherwheels of the vehicle.

The vehicle frame comprises side members Ill and Il joined together bydiagonal members i2 and a plurality of cross members, as indicated at i3and I4. Housing i5, suitably mounted on the cross members, containsconventional differential drive mechanism that is connected by universaljoints I6 to the driving shafts i1. The usual propeller shaft iscontained in the tube i8 and drives the differential mechanism A pair ofoppositely disposed driving wheels i9 is ar-4 ranged one on each side ofthe frame and is splined to stub shafts 20 that are connected to thedriving shafts by universal joints 2 I.

The wheels are supported by carriers each comprising a hollow arm 23, abearing sleeve 24 and a' spindle 25. The sleeves are suitably fixed tothe lower ends of the arms and roller bearings 26 are arranged betweenthe sleeves and the stub shafts. The wheels telescope the bearings andthe universal joints 2| join the stub shafts with the driving shafts I1partly within the sleeves and the arms 23. By thus locating the joints2| close to the center line of the wheels long driving shafts can beutilized which increase the eillciency of the joints.

The hollow arms 23 are preferably fabricated from stampings consistingof sections 21 and 28 having mating flanges suitably fixed together asby rivets 28'. The sections 28 have openings 29 through which thedriving shafts i1 project. The upper ends of the arms have flanges 30`that bound openings into which an end of the spindles 25 projects. Theflanges 30 are riveted to flanges 3| on the spindles.

The frame cross member i3 is preferably utilized to carry the spindlesand the suspension means, and it comprises two sections 32 and 33 ilxedtogether to form a hollow casing adjacent the upper portion of theframe. Housings 34 are fixed in each end of the casing and the spindlesproject through openings in the housings, roller bearings 35 beingarranged between the spindles and the housings. Suitable retainers 36are provided at each end of the roller bearings to conilne lubricantabout the bearings.

The rotatably mounted carrier spindles have suspension means associatedtherewith in the form of a pair of torsion bars 31. These bars arestaggered. one bar being in advance of the other, and preferably extendin the same horizontal plane across the frame. extends through theIbearing portion of each spindle and the end within the wheel carrier armis splined to engage the splined'end of abar that projects therethrough.The spindles are bifurcated at such outer spllned ends and bolts 4U areutilized to clamp the spindles against the bars. Opposite ends of thetwo torsion bars are in this manner fixed-'to the spindles.

The housings 34 are formed with a projecting An opening 39'bifurcated'portion 4i outside of the roller bearings, and such portionsare formed with a splined opening for receiving the other splined endsof the torsion bars. Such, ends of the bars are oppositely disposed andare retained ilxed in the splined openings of the housings by clampbolts 42. Suitable openings '43 are formed in the frame for engagementof bolts 42.

The carrier arms are fabricated from similar parts for economy ofproduction and consequently the wheels will be staggered similarly tothe torsion bars. Thus one wheel will be slightly in advance of theother and thus the universal joints are slightly out of alignment attheir ends so that one wheel will take the shock before the other whenstriking a transverse rise in the road surface and thus the ride will beimproved at such times and the life of the universal joints in thedriving axle will be prolonged.

The upper section of the cross frame member i3 is xed to the upperflange of the side frame members and the staggered relation of thetorsion bars allows this cross member to be shallow so that thepropeller shaft will have adequate clearance. The arrangement of thetorsion bars entirely across the frame allows the use of stock having arelatively smallV diameter that will distort sufilciently to give a softride and at the same time have adequate strength.

In order to damp side roll of the vehicle the carriers are directlyconnected by a torsion bar 50. The ends oi.' this bar are bent andattached by suitable means to the carrier arms.

Although the invention has been described in connection with a specificembodiment, the principles involved are susceptible of numerous otherapplications which will readily occur to persons skilled in the art.'I'he invention is therefore to be limited only as indicated by thescope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a motor vehicle, a frame, a pair of parallel torsion barsextending across the frame, one in advance of the other, means anchoringone end of said bars to the frame, means for rotatably mounting theother end of said bars on the frame, the rotatable ends and the anchoredends of the bars being relatively oppositely disposed, similar wheelcarriers iixed to the free ends of the torsion bars, and wheels mountedon said carriers, said wheels being mounted one slightly in advance ofthe other due to the arrangement of the torsion bars and the similarityof the carriers whereby wheel impacts will be slightly staggered.

2. In a motor vehicle, a frame, a pair of torsion bars extending acrossthe frame and -being anchored at one end thereto, spindles fixed to theother ends of said bars. roller bearing means on the frame carrying saidspindles, the an chored and bearing supported ends of the bars beingoppositely disposed, a wheel carrier fixed to each spindle and a torsionbar directly connecting said carriers.

3. In a motor vehicle, a frame having side rails with flanges extendinghorizontally toward each other, a closed hollow casing extending acrossthe frame and fixed under the horizontal'anges of the rails, splithousings xed in the ends of the casing beneath the rail flanges, torsionrods extending through the casing and the housings with one end of eachrod in the split portion of the housings, a bolt engaging the splitportion of each housing to clamp the rod end therein, the casing andrail ilanges being open to admit insertion and removal of the bolts, andwheel carriers on opposite sides of the frame xed one to each torsionrod.

4. In a motor vehicle, a frame having a pair of channel side rails withthe open portions in facing relation, a closed hollow casing traversingthe frame and secured at its ends in the open portion of the side rails,a housing in each end of the casing having a bearing portion and aclamping portion, a pair of torsion rods in the casing, one end of eachrod extending through a bearing portion of one housing and the other endextending into a clamping portion of the other housing, means securingthe housings in clamping relation with the rod ends, and a Wheel carrierfixed on each unclamped rod end.

FRANK C. BEST.

CERTIFICATE 0E CORRECTION. l Patent No. 2,25I,261. september 2, 19in.

FRANK C. BEST.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specificationof the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page l,first column, line 51, for "side members 10" read --channel side membersor rails liO--g and that the said Letters Patent should be read withthis correction therein that the same may conform to the record olf thecase 4in the Patent Office.

Signed-and sealed this 25th daynofNovember, A. D. 19141.

I I Henry Van Arsdale, (Seal) lActing Commissioner of Patents.

